Field electron emission regards the emission of electrons, e.g. from a solid surface into a vacuum, based on the influence of an electric field. Field electron emission is relied on in a number of applications including microscopy, spectroscopy, and display technology. Recently, carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have been studied for their potential to provide for viable electron emitters. In particular, carbon nanotubes exhibit a host of properties that would suggest that they could make for excellent field emitters in a variety of applications. Nonetheless, CNT-based field emitters that are sufficiently robust and viable have yet to be developed. Accordingly, there exists a need for robust CNT-based field emitters that are practicable in at least a commercial and/or industrial sense, and methods for developing such field emitters.